Systems and methods for performing carrier aggregation across regions with diverse licensed carriers

ABSTRACT

A system described herein may provide a technique for performing carrier aggregation in a wireless telecommunications network in a manner that accounts for (a) diverse licenses for different carriers across different regions, (b) network considerations in minimizing the number of times carrier aggregation is performed, and (c) user equipment (“UE”) considerations in maximizing battery life by utilizing only the carriers that are necessary to utilize. A smallest carrier (or group of carriers) may be identified as a default carriers, and other carriers or groups of carriers may be ranked in descending order, according to size. The ranked list may be iteratively used when performing carrier aggregation, in which the largest available carrier (or group of carriers) from the list may be used for carrier aggregation.

BACKGROUND

Wireless telecommunications providers may be authorized, or licensed(e.g., by a governmental or other type of authoritative entity) toutilize certain portions (or “carriers”) of the radio frequency (“RF”)spectrum. Using licensed carriers, a particular wirelesstelecommunications provider may offer wireless connectivity to userequipment (“UE”), such as mobile telephones or other wirelesscommunication devices. In some situations, the carriers that arelicensed to a given wireless telecommunications provider may differ on aregion-to-region basis. For example, providers may be licensed to usedifferent carriers in different counties, states, provinces, or othertypes of jurisdictions or delineations of geographic regions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIGS. 1A-1E illustrate an example overview of one or more embodimentsdescribed herein;

FIGS. 2 and 3 illustrate example environments in which one or moreembodiments, described herein, may be implemented;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example data structure that may be used toindicate which carriers are available (e.g., licensed) for a givenwireless telecommunications provider;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example process for determining and rankingcarrier groups for use during carrier aggregation;

FIGS. 6A and 6B illustrate example data structures that may be used toindicate carrier groups and their respective rankings;

FIG. 7 illustrates an example process for using the ranked carriergroups for carrier aggregation; and

FIG. 8 illustrates example components of one or more devices, accordingto one or more embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings.The same reference numbers in different drawings may identify the sameor similar elements.

Wireless telecommunications networks may employ a technique known as“carrier aggregation,” in which multiple carriers are used tocommunicate wirelessly with UEs. Carrier aggregation may allow for morethroughput, a more robust connection, and/or may provide other benefits.However, the more carriers that are utilized for carrier aggregation,the higher the load on the network (e.g., more network resources need tobe consumed in order to utilize more carriers), as well as increasedpower consumption by UEs (e.g., more power may need to be consumed byUEs in order to utilize more carriers). Further complicating matters,the availability of different carriers may vary across regions orjurisdictions (e.g., different counties, states, provinces, etc., mayhave different sets of carriers available for different wirelesstelecommunications providers). As such, some embodiments describedherein provide techniques for providing carrier aggregation in a mannerthat balances the considerations of connection quality (e.g.,throughput, latency, RF signal strength, etc.) and UE battery life,while also taking into account the different carriers that are availableacross different regions.

As shown in FIG. 1, for example, a base station may utilize a variety ofdifferent carriers. As mentioned above, a “carrier” refers to a range offrequencies at which the base station may utilize in order tocommunicate wirelessly with one or more UEs. For the purposes of thisexample, assume that each carrier is 50 Megahertz (“MHz”) wide. Asshown, the carriers may be arranged into groups (“Carrier groups”)101-106. While the word “group” is used herein, a Carrier group may, insome situations, include only a single carrier. For example, carriergroup 1 may include a single carrier (i.e., Carrier group 1 is 50 MHzwide, in this example), while Carrier group 2 may include four carriers(i.e., Carrier group 2 is 200 MHz wide, in this example). As discussedherein, the carrier groups may be determined in any suitable manner, andmay be determined on a per-region basis (e.g., where different regionshave different carriers available to a given wireless telecommunicationsprovider). As also described herein, one carrier group may be designatedas a “default” or “initial” carrier group, which may be utilized uponinitial connection, or attachment, of a given UE to the base station.

For example, as shown in FIG. 1B, a UE may connect to the base station,for which the base station may utilize the default Carrier group 103. Insome embodiments, the default carrier group may be a relatively narrowcarrier group (e.g., may contain the fewest carriers of all of thecarrier groups). As mentioned above, using fewer carriers may yieldbetter battery life from the perspective of the UE than using morecarriers. However, using fewer carriers may yield lower effectivethroughput or a less robust connection than using more carriers.

As shown in FIG. 1C, the need for carrier aggregation may be detected.For example, the base station and/or one or more other devices of thewireless telecommunications network may determine that carrieraggregation should be performed, the UE may request additionalthroughput, and/or carrier aggregation may be initiated through someother mechanism. In accordance with some embodiments, the largestavailable Carrier group (i.e., Carrier group 102, in this example,having a width of 400 MHz) may be selected and used for carrieraggregation. Once Carrier group 102 has been selected, carrieraggregation may be used, resulting in the carriers of Carrier groups 102and 103 to be used for the connection between the UE and the basestation.

In some embodiments, the widest available carrier group may be selected,in order to minimize the likelihood that carrier aggregation would beneeded again. That is, utilizing a relatively wide carrier group maygenerally maximize the likelihood that the connection requirements(e.g., the requirements/criteria based on which carrier aggregation wasinitiated) are met, which would result in carrier aggregation not havingto be performed again to add additional carriers.

If, however, carrier aggregation is needed again (e.g., as shown in FIG.1D), then the next widest carrier group (i.e., Carrier group 105, havinga width of 200 MHz, in this example) may be selected. Choosing the nextlargest carrier group advances the objectives mentioned above (e.g.,minimizing the likelihood that carrier aggregation would be neededagain). While FIG. 1D illustrates a situation where carrier aggregationmay need to be performed more than once, the quantity of times carrieraggregation would be performed to reach the result of FIG. 1D (e.g., allof the carriers of Carrier groups 102, 103, and 105 being used forcarrier aggregation for the connection between the UE and the basestation) may be lower (and the overall process may thus be faster) inaccordance with the example embodiments discussed above with respect toFIGS. 1A-1D, as opposed to techniques in which carrier aggregation isperformed in another way (e.g., adding one carrier at a time to thecarrier aggregation).

As further shown in FIG. 1E, if fewer carriers are needed than arecurrently being utilized (e.g., Carrier groups 102, 103, and 105), thenthe last added carrier group (Carrier group 105, in this example) may beremoved from carrier aggregation. That is, the base station may nolonger utilize the carriers of the last added carrier group. Asmentioned above, and as further described below, the definitions of thecarrier groups may vary from region to region, which may be necessitatedby differing licenses for different carriers in the different regions.Some embodiments described herein may thus maintain different carriergroup definitions for different regions, in order to seamlessly performprocesses described herein.

FIG. 2 illustrates example environment 200, in which systems and/ormethods described herein may be implemented. As shown in FIG. 2,environment 200 may include UE 205, base station 210, Serving Gateway(“SGW”) 215, Mobility Management Entity (“MME”) 220, PDN gateway (“PGW”)225, Service Capability Exposure Function (“SCEF”) 227, policy andcharging rules function (“PCRF”) 230, home subscriber server(“HSS”)/authentication, authorization, accounting (“AAA”) server 235(hereinafter referred to as “HSS/AAA server 235”), Carrier AggregationSelection System (“CASS”) 240, Regional Carrier Information Repository(“RCIR”) 245, and PDN 250.

While “direct” connections are shown in FIG. 2 between certain devices,some devices may communicate with each other via one or moreintermediary devices (e.g., routers, switch, hubs, etc.) or networks(e.g., an Ethernet backhaul network (“EBH”) and/or some other type ofnetwork). Furthermore, some of the connections shown in FIG. 2 may belogical connections, and may represent the communication betweendifferent logical portions of a single device. Further, in someimplementations, some devices, shown in FIG. 2, may communicate witheach other even though connections are not shown between such devices inthe figure.

Environment 200 may include an evolved packet system (“EPS”) thatincludes a Third Generation Partnership Project (“3GPP”) radio accessnetwork (“RAN”) and/or an Evolved Packet Core (“EPC”) network that isoperated based on a 3GPP wireless communication standard. The RAN maybe, or may include, a Long-Term Evolution (“LTE”) network, a fifthgeneration (“5G”) RAN, etc., that each include one or base stations 210(which may take the form of evolved NodeBs (“eNBs”)), via which UE 205may communicate with the EPC network. The EPC network may include one ormore SGWs 215, PGW/SCEFs 225, and/or MMES 220, and may enable UE 205 tocommunicate with PDN 250 and/or an Internet protocol (“IP”) multimediasubsystem (“IMS”) core network (not shown). The IMS core network mayinclude and/or communicate with HSS/AAA server 235, and may manageauthentication, session initiation, account information, a user profile,etc., associated with UE 205.

UE 205 may include a computation and communication device, such as awireless mobile communication device that is capable of communicatingwith base station 210 and/or PDN 250. UE 205 may be, or may include, aradiotelephone; a personal communications system (“PCS”) terminal (e.g.,a device that combines a cellular radiotelephone with data processingand data communications capabilities); a personal digital assistant(“PDA”) (e.g., a device that may include a radiotelephone, a pager,Internet/intranet access, etc.); a smart phone; a laptop computer; atablet computer; a camera; a personal gaming system; an IoT device(e.g., a sensor, a smart home appliance, or the like); an M2M device; oranother type of mobile computation and communication device. UE 205 maysend traffic to and/or receive traffic from PDN 250 via base station210, SGW 215, PGW 225, and/or SCEF 227.

Base station 210 may each include one or more network devices thatreceive, process, and/or transmit traffic, such as calls, audio, video,text, and/or other data, destined for and/or received from UE 205. Inone example, base station 210 may be part of an LTE network, a 5Gnetwork, another advanced network, etc. Base station 210 may receivetraffic, destined for UE 205, from SGW 215, PGW 225, SCEF 227, and/orPDN 250, and may output the traffic to UE 205. Base station 210 may alsoreceive traffic from UE 205, and may output the traffic to its intendeddestination via SGW 215, PGW 225, SCEF 227, and/or PDN 250.

In some embodiments, base station 210 may perform carrier aggregation.As discussed above, carrier aggregation may include the utilization ofmultiple distinct frequency bands (e.g., carriers) for a connection witha given UE 205. In some embodiments, base station 210 may performcarrier aggregation in a manner described herein, in which carriergroups are identified and used in a prioritized manner. Base station 210may perform the carrier aggregation based on instructions from CASS 240and/or one or more other devices or systems.

SGW 215 may include one or more network devices that gather, process,search, store, and/or provide information in a manner described herein.SGW 215 may, for example, aggregate traffic received from one or morebase stations 210, and may send the aggregated traffic to PDN 250 viaPGW 225.

MME 220 may include one or more computation and communication devicesthat perform operations to register UE 205 with the EPS, to establishbearer channels associated with a session with UE 205, to hand off UE205 from the EPS to another network, to hand off UE 205 from the othernetwork to the EPS, and/or to perform other operations. MME 220 mayperform policing operations on traffic destined for and/or received fromUE 205. MME 220 may, in some embodiments, receive messages via controlplane signaling, which are destined to and/or sent from UE 205. In someembodiments, MME 220 may control plane signaling for UE 205 from SCEF227, and/or may forward control plane signaling from UE 205 to PDN 250via SCEF 227.

PGW 225 may include one or more network devices that gather, process,search, store, and/or provide information in a manner described herein.PGW 225 may aggregate traffic received from one or more SGWs 215, etc.and may send the aggregated traffic to PDN 250. PGW 225 may also, oralternatively, receive traffic from PDN 250 and may send the traffictoward UE 205 via base station 210 and/or SGW 215.

SCEF 227 may include one or more network devices that gather, process,search, store, and/or provide information in a manner described herein.SCEF 227 may aggregate traffic received from PDN 250 (and/or one or moreother devices and/or systems) and may send the aggregated traffic to UE205 (e.g., via MME 220). SCEF 227 may also, or alternatively, receivetraffic from UE 205 (e.g., via MME 220) and may send the traffic towardPDN 250.

PCRF 230 may include one or more devices that aggregate information toand from the EPC network and/or other sources. PCRF 230 may receiveinformation regarding policies and/or subscriptions from one or moresources, such as subscriber databases and/or from one or more users(such as, for example, an administrator associated with PCRF 230).

HSS/AAA server 235 may include one or more devices that manage, update,and/or store, in a memory associated with HSS/AAA server 235, profileinformation associated with a subscriber. HSS/AAA server 235 may performauthentication, authorization, and/or accounting operations associatedwith the subscriber and/or a communication session with UE 205.

CASS 240 may include one or more devices that perform functionalitydescribed herein. For example, CASS 240 may generate ordered lists ofcarrier groups, to be used for carrier aggregation. In some embodiments,the ordered lists may be generated on a per-region basis, such thatdifferent regions may have different ranked lists (e.g., due todifferences in licenses of available carriers in differing regions).

RCIR 245 may include one or more devices that perform functionalitydescribed herein. For example, RCIR 245 may maintain informationindicating which carriers are licensed (and/or otherwise available orunavailable) for a wireless telecommunications provider (e.g., awireless telecommunications provider that owns and/or operates some orall of the network shown in FIG. 2). As discussed herein, CASS 240 mayuse information received from RCIR 245 in order to generate orderedlists of carrier groups.

PDN 250 may include one or more wired and/or wireless networks. Forexample, PDN 250 may include an IP-based PDN, a wide area network(“WAN”) such as the Internet, a private enterprise network, and/or oneor more other networks. UE 205 may connect, through PGW 225 and/or SCEF227, to data servers, application servers, other UEs 205, and/or toother servers or applications that are coupled to PDN 250. PDN 250 maybe connected to one or more other networks, such as a public switchedtelephone network (“PSTN”), a public land mobile network (“PLMN”),and/or another network. PDN 250 may be connected to one or more devices,such as content providers, applications, web servers, and/or otherdevices, with which UE 205 may communicate.

FIG. 3 illustrates another example environment 300, in which one or moreembodiments may be implemented. Generally speaking, similar operationsmay be performed in environment 200 as in environment 300, in order tohandle user input in accordance with embodiments described herein.Environment 300 may correspond to a 5G network, and/or may includeelements of a 5G network.

As shown in FIG. 3, environment 300 may include UE 205, RAN 310, AMF315, Session Management Function (“SMF”) 320, Policy Control Function(“PCF”) 325, Application Function (“AF”) 330, User Plane Function(“UPF”) 335, Data Network (“DN”) 355, Authentication Server Function(“AUSF”) 345, Unified Data Management (“UDM”) 350, CASS 240, and/or RCIR245.

The quantity of devices and/or networks, illustrated in FIG. 3, isprovided for explanatory purposes only. In practice, environment 300 mayinclude additional devices and/or networks; fewer devices and/ornetworks; different devices and/or networks; or differently arrangeddevices and/or networks than illustrated in FIG. 3. For example, whilenot shown, environment 300 may include devices that facilitate or enablecommunication between various components shown in environment 300, suchas routers, modems, gateways, switches, hubs, etc. Alternatively, oradditionally, one or more of the devices of environment 300 may performone or more functions described as being performed by another one ormore of the devices of environments 300. Devices of environment 300 mayinterconnect with each other and/or other devices via wired connections,wireless connections, or a combination of wired and wirelessconnections. In some implementations, one or more devices of environment300 may be physically integrated in, and/or may be physically attachedto, one or more other devices of environment 300.

RAN 310 may be, or may include, a 5G RAN that includes one or more basestations, via which UE 205 may communicate with one or more otherelements of environment 300. UE 205 may communicate with RAN 310 via anair interface. For instance, RAN 310 may receive traffic (e.g., voicecall traffic, data traffic, messaging traffic, signaling traffic, etc.)from UE 305 via the air interface, and may communicate the traffic toUPF 335, and/or one or more other devices or networks. Similarly, RAN310 may receive traffic intended for UE 305 (e.g., from UPF 335, and/orone or more other devices or networks) and may communicate the trafficto UE 305 via the air interface.

AMF 315 may include one or more computation and communication devicesthat perform operations to register UE 305 with the 5G network, toestablish bearer channels associated with a session with UE 305, to handoff UE 305 from the 5G network to another network, to hand off UE 305from the other network to the 5G network, and/or to perform otheroperations. In some embodiments, the 5G network may include multipleAMFs 315, which communicate with each other via the NG14 interface(denoted in FIG. 3 by the line marked “NG14” originating and terminatingat AMF 315).

SMF 320 may include one or more network devices that gather, process,store, and/or provide information in a manner described herein. SMF 320may, for example, facilitate in the establishment of communicationsessions on behalf of UE 305. In some embodiments, the establishment ofcommunications sessions may be performed in accordance with one or morepolicies provided by PCF 325.

PCF 325 may include one or more devices that aggregate information toand from the 5G network and/or other sources. PCF 325 may receiveinformation regarding policies and/or subscriptions from one or moresources, such as subscriber databases and/or from one or more users(such as, for example, an administrator associated with PCF 325).

AF 330 may include one or more devices that receive, store, and/orprovide information that may be used in determining parameters (e.g.,quality of service parameters, charging parameters, or the like) forcertain applications.

UPF 335 may include one or more devices that receive, store, and/orprovide data (e.g., user plane data). For example, UPF 335 may receiveuser plane data (e.g., voice call traffic, data traffic, etc.), destinedfor UE 205, from DN 355, and may forward the user plane data toward UE205 (e.g., via RAN 310, SMF 320, and/or one or more other devices). Insome embodiments, multiple UPFs 335 may be deployed (e.g., in differentgeographical locations), and the delivery of content to UE 305 may becoordinated via the NG9 interface (e.g., as denoted in FIG. 3 by theline marked “NG9” originating and terminating at UPF 335). Similarly,UPF 335 may receive traffic from UE 205 (e.g., via RAN 310, SMF 320,and/or one or more other devices), and may forward the traffic toward DN355. In some embodiments, UPF 335 may communicate (e.g., via the NG4interface) with SMF 320, regarding user plane data processed by UPF 335.As mentioned above, this information may aid SMF 320 in monitoring(e.g., tracking, counting, etc.) the traffic for particular subscribers.

DN 355 may include one or more wired and/or wireless networks. Forexample, DN 355 may include an IP-based PDN, a WAN such as the Internet,a private enterprise network, and/or one or more other networks. UE 205may communicate, through DN 355, with data servers, application servers255, other UEs 205, and/or to other servers or applications that arecoupled to DN 355. DN 355 may be connected to one or more othernetworks, such as a public switched telephone network (“PSTN”), a PLMN,and/or another network. DN 355 may be connected to one or more devices,such as content providers, applications, web servers, and/or otherdevices, with which UE 205 may communicate.

AUSF 345 and UDM 350 may include one or more devices that manage,update, and/or store, in one or more memory devices associated with AUSF345 and/or UDM 350, profile information associated with a subscriber.AUSF 345 and/or UDM 350 may perform authentication, authorization,and/or accounting operations associated with the subscriber and/or acommunication session with UE 305.

As similarly described above with respect to environment 200, CASS 240and/or RCIR 245 may, in some embodiments, be internal components withrespect to one or more other devices and/or systems discussed withregard to environment 300. For example, PAIR 240 may have a dedicatedinterface (shown as “NG-CASS1”) between PAIR 240 and UDM 350, so thatPAIR 240 can communicate with UDM 350 without traversing the Internet orDN 355.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example data structure 400 that may be used toindicate carriers that are licensed for a particular wirelesstelecommunications provider (e.g., a wireless telecommunicationsprovider that owns and/or operates the networks shown in FIGS. 2 and/or3). The carriers are denoted here as “C1,” “C2,” “C3,” and so on. Eachone of these carriers may refer to a given set of frequencies (or“band”). For example, C1 may refer to the 38600-38650 MHz band, C2 mayrefer to the 28650-38700 MHz band, C3 may refer to the 38700-38750 MHzband, and so on.

As also shown in FIG. 4, data structure 400 may include the carrierinformation for various regions. For example, Region A may refer to afirst county, Region B may refer to a second county, and so on. Asdiscussed above, the “regions” may refer to different geographical areasthat are associated with different licenses for the wirelesstelecommunications provider. Regions may be organized in terms ofcounties, states, provinces, sub-divisions of these types of regions,and/or other officially defined regions. In some embodiments, regionsmay be defined independently of officially denoted boundaries, such assituations where the licenses for some carriers are definedindependently of the officially denoted boundaries.

In some embodiments, RCIR 245 may implement an application programminginterface (“API”), via which the information that defines regions and/orcarriers that are licensed for the wireless telecommunications provider,on a per-region basis, can be submitted and/or updated. For example, insituations where the licenses for a given region are changed, a user(e.g., an administrator of the wireless telecommunications network, agovernmental entity that is associated with a given region and/or hasauthority to modify the licenses for a given region, etc.) can use oneor more commands of the API to modify some or all of the information indata structure 400. In some embodiments, an authentication process maybe performed prior to any modification of data structure 400, in orderto verify that the user who is requesting a modification is authorizedto do so.

As shown in data structure 400, the wireless telecommunication providermay have a license to utilize C2, C3, C4, and C8 in Region A, while thewireless telecommunication provider does not have a license to utilizeC1, C5, C6, and C7 in Region A. In Region B, the wirelesstelecommunication provider may have a license to utilize C2, C4, C5, andC7, while the wireless telecommunication provider does not have alicense to utilize C1, C3, C6, and C8 in Region B. As described herein,the information stored in data structure 400 may be used to define andrank carrier groups on a per-region basis, where these carrier groupsmay be used for carrier aggregation and/or for other purposes.

FIG. 5 illustrates an example process 500 for determining carrier groupsfor a given region. For the purposes of explanation here, process 500will be described in the context of being performed by RCIR 245. In someembodiments, some or all of process 500 may be performed by CASS 240,RCIR 245, and/or one or more other devices or systems. In someembodiments, process 500 may be performed for each region. That is,performing process 500 may yield an ordered/ranked list of carriergroups for one region, and performing process 500 for another region mayyield an ordered/ranked list of carrier groups for the other region.Process 500 may thus be performed for each region in a set of regions,in order to generate an ordered list of carrier groups for each regionin the set of regions.

As shown, process 500 may include receiving (at 505) informationspecifying licensed carriers in a particular region. For example, asdiscussed above, RCIR 245 may receive the information specifyingcarriers which a particular wireless telecommunications provider islicensed to use (e.g., arranged similarly to, or conveying similarinformation as, some or all of data structure 400). In some embodiments,RCIR 245 may implement an API, which can allow authorized users toprovide the information regarding the licensed carriers for specificregions.

Process 500 may also include identifying (at 510) the smallestcontiguous group of carriers as a default carrier group. FIG. 6Aconceptually illustrates an example data structure, similar to the oneshown in FIG. 4, for an example region (“Region D”). As shown, thewireless telecommunications provider may be licensed to utilize C2-C6,C8, C10, C11, C13-C15, and C17 in Region D. Carriers with abuttingfrequencies may be considered “contiguous.” For example, C2-C6 are a setof contiguous carriers, the set of C10 and C11 is a contiguous set ofcarriers, and so on. By this token, C8 and C17 would not be considered“contiguous” with any of the other carriers.

In some embodiments, carrier groups may have preset sizes. The presetsizes may be dictated by standards (e.g., standards associated withcarrier aggregation), and/or may be determined in some other suitableway. In some embodiments, the preset sizes may include 50 MHz, 100 MHz,200 MHz, and 400 MHz. In embodiments with these preset sizes, carriersthat would otherwise be considered contiguous may be considerednon-contiguous. For example, while C2-C6 are technically contiguous, thetotal quantity of carriers in C2-C6 is five, for a total width of 250MHz. In some embodiments, when contiguous carriers have a differentwidth than one of the preset widths, these carriers may be logicallyseparated. For example, C2-C5 may be considered as its own contiguouscarrier group, while C6 may be considered as its own group. Similarly,C13 and C14 may be considered as one contiguous group (i.e., as having awidth of 100 MHz, whereas C13-C15 would have a width of 150 MHz). Thisseparation of otherwise contiguous groups may include identifying thelargest group(s) of carriers that match a preset size, and thencontinuing to split the carriers into groups that match a preset size indescending order. In some embodiments, such groups may be split up inany suitable manner, which may be different than the example presentedabove.

In accordance with block 510, RCIR 245 may identify (at 510) C8 and C17as being the “smallest” (e.g., least wide) “contiguous” groups ofcarriers. That is, C8 and C17 are both individual carriers, and thus thesize of these non-contiguous carrier groups is one carrier for eachgroup (i.e., the carrier group of C8 itself includes only one carrier,and is thus one carrier wide). In some embodiments, one carrier groupconsisting solely of C6 may also be identified (e.g., in situationswhere C6 is considered separately from C2-C5, by virtue of C2-C5matching a preset size and C2-C6 not matching a preset size, asdiscussed above), and another carrier group consisting solely of C15 maybe identified.

Since three carrier groups (i.e., C6, C8, and C17, in this example) havebeen identified as being the smallest, further processing may need to beperformed to identify which carrier group should be identified as thedefault carrier. In some embodiments, the carrier being closest to thecenter of the available spectrum may be selected as the default. Forexample, as shown in FIG. 6A, C8 may be selected due to being theclosest to the middle of the available spectrum (i.e., C1-C17, in thisexample), as compared to C6 and C17. As further shown in FIG. 6A, C8 maybe denoted as “default,” and/or may be denoted with a default value(e.g., 0). This value may be used when the carrier groups are orderedand/or ranked, and will be discussed in greater detail below withrespect to FIG. 6B.

In some embodiments, other techniques may be used to select a carriergroup in the case where multiple carrier groups are of the same size. Insome embodiments, the carrier group closest to the left (e.g., havingthe lowest frequencies) may be selected, while in some embodiments, thecarrier group closest to the right (e.g., having the highestfrequencies) may be selected. In some embodiments, carrier groups may beselected arbitrarily once identified as having the same size, and/or maybe selected according to some other suitable technique.

Returning to FIG. 5, process 500 may further include identifying (at515) the largest contiguous carrier group not already identified.Returning to FIG. 6A, the group that includes C2-C5 may be identified asthe largest carrier group (e.g., with a width of 200 MHz, assuming thateach carrier is 50 MHz wide). As mentioned above, C6 may, in someembodiments, not be considered part of the C2-C5 carrier group, as C2-C6would not match one of the preset carrier group sizes (i.e., would be250 MHz). Because C2-C5 have been identified as the next carrier group,RCIR 245 may denote this group with a “1,” or other identifier thatindicates that this group is the first group that is ranked after thedefault, or “0,” group.

Process 500 may additionally include adding (at 520) the identifiedlargest carrier to an ordered list of carriers. FIG. 6B illustrates anexample data structure 600, which may store information regardingordered/ranked carrier groups on a per-region basis. Continuing with theabove example, C8 may be denoted with a “0” in the row for “Region D” indata structure 600, while C2, C3, C4, and C5 may all be denoted with a“1” in the row for “Region D.”

Process 500 may also include determining (at 525) whether any additionalcarriers remain, excluding the carriers that have already been placedinto carrier groups. If any carriers remain (525—YES), then process 500may include repeating blocks 515-525 until all of the carriers have beenplaced into carrier groups.

For example, continuing with the above example, C2-C5 and C8 may havebeen placed into carrier groups, while C6, C10, C11, C13-C15, and C17may still remain. As such, the next group(s) identified (at the nextiteration of 515) may be C10-C11 and C13-C14, which each consist of twocarriers. As discussed above, the group closest to the center may beselected first (e.g., C10-C11), and/or some other suitable technique maybe used to select one of the carrier groups having the same width. Asshown in FIG. 6B, data structure 600 may store information reflectingthat the group of C10-C11 was selected next (e.g., C10 and C11 are eachdenoted with a “2” in data structure 600), and that the group of C13-C14was selected next (e.g., C13 and C14 are each denoted with a “3” in datastructure 600). Blocks 515-525 may be repeated until all availablecarriers in a region are placed in carrier groups, with the carriergroups ranked accordingly.

Once all of the carriers in the region have been placed into carriergroups (at 525—NO), then the process 500 may include storing and/oroutputting (at 530) the ordered list of carrier groups. For example,RCIR 245 may store the information, and/or may provide the ordered list(e.g., data structure 600, or similar information) to one or more othersystems and/or devices (e.g., to CASS 240). As discussed above, process500 may be performed multiple times (e.g., for different regions). FIG.6B further illustrates the results of carrier groups being identifiedand ranked for another example region (“Region E”).

FIG. 7 illustrates an example process 700 for performing carrieraggregation in accordance with ranked carrier groups (e.g., as discussedabove with respect to process 500), on a per-region basis. In someembodiments, process 700 may be performed by CASS 240. In someembodiments, some or all of process 700 may be performed by one or moreother devices or systems (e.g., RCIR 245) in addition to, or in lieu of,CASS 240.

As shown, process 700 may include the connection (at 705) of a UE to awireless telecommunications network in a particular region. For example,a particular UE 205 may enter communications range of a base station(e.g., base station 210 and/or a base station or other RF communicationdevices or systems of a RAN, such as RAN 310; for the purposes ofexplanation, “base station 210” will be referred to in the descriptionof this figure).

Process 700 may further include assigning (at 710) a default carriergroup for communications with the UE. For example, CASS 240 may assign adefault carrier group, associated with the region in which base station210 is located. For example, as discussed above, the default carriergroup may be determined (e.g., previously determined, prior to theconnection of UE 205 to base station 210) by, for example, RCIR 245.

Process 700 may additionally include determining (at 715) that carrieraggregation should be performed. For example, CASS 240, base station210, and/or some other device or system may determine that carrieraggregation should be performed for the connection with UE 205.

Process 700 may also include using (at 720) the next carrier group, inan ordered list associated with the region, for carrier aggregation. Forexample, as discussed above, the ordered list may specify which carriersshould be used, and in which order, for carrier aggregation. Insituations where the default carrier (e.g., carrier group 0, in FIG. 6A)is insufficient for meeting the criteria for which carrier aggregationwas performed, the next carrier group (e.g., carrier group 1, in FIG.6A) would be assigned. Blocks 715 and 720 may be iteratively repeateduntil enough carriers have been assigned, or the carriers in the regionhave been exhausted (e.g., no more carriers remain for assignment).

In some embodiments, the need (or desire) for carrier aggregation may bedetermined (e.g., at 715) based on available network resources (e.g.,whether base station 210 has available resources to perform carrieraggregation), performance requirements (e.g., as determined based on acomparison of Quality of Service (“QoS”) requirements (e.g., asindicated by a QoS Class Identifier (“QCI”)) of communicationsassociated with UE 205 to the actual QoS being provided to UE 205),and/or any other suitable mechanism for initiating carrier aggregation.

In some embodiments, CASS 240, MME 220, AMF 315, and/or some otherdevice or system may track a quantity of carriers utilized by a basestation in another region, for communications with UE 205, and use thatquantity (or approximately that quantity) of carriers when UE 205initially connects to base station 210 (e.g., at 705), and/or when theneed for carrier aggregation is determined (e.g., at 715).

In some embodiments, CASS 240 may track historical data associated withUE 205, such as how many carriers UE 205 historically uses. For example,if UE 205 uses an average of 200 MHz (e.g., due to carrier aggregation)over a given time window (e.g., within a past week, a past month, etc.),then CASS 240 may determine that UE 205 should be assigned 200 MHz (orapproximately 200 MHz) worth of carrier groups when connecting to basestation 210, and/or when the need for carrier aggregation is determined.

To elaborate, an example is provided with regard to the example carriergroups illustrated in FIG. 6B. Assume, for example, that a particular UE205, which has used an average of 150 MHz of spectrum, by way of carrieraggregation, when connected to the wireless telecommunications networkover the past seven days. As such, CASS 240 (and/or some other device orsystem) may maintain information indicating the average usage of 150 MHzof spectrum over the past seven days. As such, when initially connectingto base station 210, CASS 240 may determine that carrier groups 0 and 2should be used. That is, the default carrier group 0 (consisting only ofC8) and additional carrier group 2 (consisting of C10 and C11, and alsobeing the highest ranked carrier group with 100 MHz of width) may beassigned when UE 205 connects to base station 210 (e.g., at 705) and/orwhen the need for carrier aggregation is determined (e.g., at 715). Asanother example, in lieu of assigning carrier groups 0 and 2 to UE 205,CASS 240 may determine that carrier group 1 (consisting of C2-C5) shouldbe assigned to UE 205 (and that carrier group 0 should not be assigned),as carrier group 1 is the highest ranked carrier group that is wideenough (200 MHz, assuming each carrier is 50 MHz wide) to accommodatethe average carrier usage (150 MHz) associated with UE 205.

In some embodiments, the usage of particular UEs 205 may be tracked overtime, and the average usage of carriers can change over time. When theaverage usage changes, the assignment of carriers may change in a mannersimilar to that discussed above. In some embodiments, usage may betracked on a more granular or dynamic basis. For example, if UE 205typically utilizes 150 MHz worth of spectrum, via carrier aggregation,between the hours of 9 AM-11 AM and 50 MHz or less during other times,then additional carrier groups may be assigned during the hours of 9AM-11 AM (e.g., in a manner similar to that described above), while adefault carrier group may be assigned (e.g., in accordance with block710) for UE 205 during the other times. In some embodiments, CASS 240may communicate with one or more other devices of the wirelesstelecommunications network (e.g., HSS/AAA server 235 and/or UDM 350) todetermine historical information associated with users, and may performcarrier aggregation (e.g., may select carrier groups, as discussedabove) in a manner based on the historical information received fromHSS/AAA server 235 and/or UDM 350.

FIG. 8 illustrates example components of device 800. One or more of thedevices described above may include one or more devices 800. Device 800may include bus 810, processor 820, memory 830, input component 840,output component 850, and communication interface 860. In anotherimplementation, device 800 may include additional, fewer, different, ordifferently arranged components.

Bus 810 may include one or more communication paths that permitcommunication among the components of device 800. Processor 820 mayinclude a processor, microprocessor, or processing logic that mayinterpret and execute instructions. Memory 830 may include any type ofdynamic storage device that may store information and instructions forexecution by processor 820, and/or any type of non-volatile storagedevice that may store information for use by processor 820.

Input component 840 may include a mechanism that permits an operator toinput information to device 800, such as a keyboard, a keypad, a button,a switch, etc. Output component 850 may include a mechanism that outputsinformation to the operator, such as a display, a speaker, one or morelight emitting diodes (“LEDs”), etc.

Communication interface 860 may include any transceiver-like mechanismthat enables device 800 to communicate with other devices and/orsystems. For example, communication interface 860 may include anEthernet interface, an optical interface, a coaxial interface, or thelike. Communication interface 860 may include a wireless communicationdevice, such as an infrared (“IR”) receiver, a Bluetooth® radio, or thelike. The wireless communication device may be coupled to an externaldevice, such as a remote control, a wireless keyboard, a mobiletelephone, etc. In some embodiments, device 800 may include more thanone communication interface 860. For instance, device 800 may include anoptical interface and an Ethernet interface.

Device 800 may perform certain operations relating to one or moreprocesses described above. Device 800 may perform these operations inresponse to processor 820 executing software instructions stored in acomputer-readable medium, such as memory 830. A computer-readable mediummay be defined as a non-transitory memory device. A memory device mayinclude space within a single physical memory device or spread acrossmultiple physical memory devices. The software instructions may be readinto memory 830 from another computer-readable medium or from anotherdevice. The software instructions stored in memory 830 may causeprocessor 820 to perform processes described herein. Alternatively,hardwired circuitry may be used in place of or in combination withsoftware instructions to implement processes described herein. Thus,implementations described herein are not limited to any specificcombination of hardware circuitry and software.

The foregoing description of implementations provides illustration anddescription, but is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit thepossible implementations to the precise form disclosed. Modificationsand variations are possible in light of the above disclosure or may beacquired from practice of the implementations.

For example, while series of blocks and/or signals have been describedwith regard to FIGS. 5 and 7, the order of the blocks and/or signals maybe modified in other implementations. Further, non-dependent blocksand/or signals may be performed in parallel. Additionally, while thefigures have been described in the context of particular devicesperforming particular acts, in practice, one or more other devices mayperform some or all of these acts in lieu of, or in addition to, theabove-mentioned devices.

The actual software code or specialized control hardware used toimplement an embodiment is not limiting of the embodiment. Thus, theoperation and behavior of the embodiment has been described withoutreference to the specific software code, it being understood thatsoftware and control hardware may be designed based on the descriptionherein.

Even though particular combinations of features are recited in theclaims and/or disclosed in the specification, these combinations are notintended to limit the disclosure of the possible implementations. Infact, many of these features may be combined in ways not specificallyrecited in the claims and/or disclosed in the specification. Althougheach dependent claim listed below may directly depend on only one otherclaim, the disclosure of the possible implementations includes eachdependent claim in combination with every other claim in the claim set.

Further, while certain connections or devices are shown, in practice,additional, fewer, or different, connections or devices may be used.Furthermore, while various devices and networks are shown separately, inpractice, the functionality of multiple devices may be performed by asingle device, or the functionality of one device may be performed bymultiple devices. Further, multiple ones of the illustrated networks maybe included in a single network, or a particular network may includemultiple networks. Further, while some devices are shown ascommunicating with a network, some such devices may be incorporated, inwhole or in part, as a part of the network.

Some implementations are described herein in conjunction withthresholds. To the extent that, the term “greater than” (or similarterms) is used herein to describe a relationship of a value to athreshold, it is to be understood that the term “greater than or equalto” (or similar terms) could be similarly contemplated, even if notexplicitly stated. Similarly, to the extent that the term “less than”(or similar terms) is used herein to describe a relationship of a valueto a threshold, it is to be understood that the term “less than equalto” (or similar terms) could be similarly contemplated, even if notexplicitly stated. Further, the term “satisfying,” when used in relationto a threshold, may refer to “being greater than a threshold,” “beinggreater than or equal to a threshold,” “being less than a threshold,”“being less than or equal to a threshold,” or other similar terms,depending on the appropriate context.

To the extent the aforementioned implementations collect, store, oremploy personal information provided by individuals, it should beunderstood that such information shall be collected, stored, and used inaccordance with all applicable laws concerning protection of personalinformation. Additionally, the collection, storage, and use of suchinformation may be subject to consent of the individual to such activity(for example, through “opt-in” or “opt-out” processes, as may beappropriate for the situation and type of information). Storage and useof personal information may be in an appropriately secure mannerreflective of the type of information, for example, through variousencryption and anonymization techniques for particularly sensitiveinformation.

No element, act, or instruction used in the present application shouldbe construed as critical or essential unless explicitly described assuch. An instance of the use of the term “and,” as used herein, does notnecessarily preclude the interpretation that the phrase “and/or” wasintended in that instance. Similarly, an instance of the use of the term“or,” as used herein, does not necessarily preclude the interpretationthat the phrase “and/or” was intended in that instance. Also, as usedherein, the article “a” is intended to include one or more items, andmay be used interchangeably with the phrase “one or more.” Where onlyone item is intended, the terms “one,” “single,” “only,” or similarlanguage is used. Further, the phrase “based on” is intended to mean“based, at least in part, on” unless explicitly stated otherwise.

What is claimed is:
 1. A device, comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of processor-executable instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the set of processor-executable instructions, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions causes the one or more processors to: receive information specifying a plurality of carriers that are licensed for use by a particular wireless telecommunications provider, wherein each carrier, of the plurality of carriers, includes a contiguous range of frequencies of the radio frequency (“RF”) spectrum; identify, from the plurality of carriers that are licensed for use by the particular wireless telecommunications provider, a plurality of groups of carriers, wherein each group of carriers includes one or more carriers that correspond to a contiguous range of frequencies; identify a first group of carriers, from the plurality of groups of carriers, that contains a smallest contiguous range of frequencies of the plurality of groups of carriers; rank the remaining groups of carriers, from the plurality of groups of carriers, in descending order with respect to sizes of frequency ranges respectively included in each of the remaining groups of carriers; detect a connection of a user equipment (“UE”) with a base station of the wireless telecommunications network; assign, for the connection of the UE with the base station, the default group of carriers based on detecting the connection of the UE with the base station; determine, after assigning the default group of carriers, that carrier aggregation should be performed for the connection between the UE and the base station; perform, based on the determination, carrier aggregation for the connection between the UE and the base station, wherein performing the carrier aggregation includes adding groups of carriers to the connection between the UE and the base station in an order that is based on the ranking of the groups of carriers; store information indicating that carrier aggregation was performed, the information indicating at least one of: (a) a quantity of carriers used for the carrier aggregation, or (b) a width of the range of frequencies included in the groups of carriers used for the carrier aggregation; detect that the UE has connected to another base station; and assign, to the connection between the UE and the other base station, a quantity of carriers, associated with the other base station, that (a) meets or exceeds the quantity of carriers used for the carrier aggregation, or (b) has a width of frequency ranges that meets or exceeds the width of frequency ranges included in the groups of carriers used for the carrier aggregation.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the ranking of the groups includes at least: a second group of carriers as the highest ranked group of carriers, in the ranked plurality of groups of carriers, that includes the largest frequency range of the ranked plurality of groups of carriers, and a third group of carriers that includes a smaller frequency range than the second group of carriers, the third group of carriers being ranked lower than the second group of carriers.
 3. The device of claim 2, wherein executing the processor-executable instructions, to perform the carrier aggregation, further causes the one or more processors to add the second group of carriers to the connection between the UE and the base station, before the third group of carriers is added to the connection between the UE and the base station.
 4. The device, wherein the quantity of assigned carriers is assigned based on the detection of the connection of the UE to the other base station.
 5. A device, comprising: a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing a set of processor-executable instructions; and one or more processors configured to execute the set of processor-executable instructions, wherein executing the set of processor-executable instructions causes the one or more processors to: receive information specifying a first plurality of carriers that are licensed for use by a particular wireless telecommunications provider, wherein each carrier, of the first plurality of carriers, includes a contiguous range of frequencies of the radio frequency (“RF”) spectrum; identify, from the first plurality of carriers that are licensed for use by the particular wireless telecommunications provider, a first plurality of groups of carriers, wherein each group of carriers includes one or more carriers that correspond to a contiguous range of frequencies; identify a first group of carriers, from the first plurality of groups of carriers, that contains a smallest contiguous range of frequencies of the first plurality of groups of carriers; rank the remaining groups of carriers, from the first plurality of groups of carriers, in descending order with respect to sizes of frequency ranges respectively included in each of the remaining groups of carriers; detect a connection of a user equipment (“UE”) with a base station of the wireless telecommunications network, wherein the base station is associated with a first set of licenses, for the wireless telecommunications provider, to use the first plurality of carriers, wherein another base station is associated with a second set of licenses, for the wireless telecommunications provider, to use a second plurality of carriers; assign, for the connection of the UE with the base station, the default group of carriers based on detecting the connection of the UE with the base station; determine, after assigning the default group of carriers, that carrier aggregation should be performed for the connection between the UE and the base station; perform, based on the determination, carrier aggregation for the connection between the UE and the base station, wherein performing the carrier aggregation includes adding groups of carriers to the connection between the UE and the base station in an order that is based on the ranking of the groups of carriers; receive information specifying the second plurality of carriers; identify, from the second plurality of carriers, a second plurality of groups of carriers; identify a third group of carriers, from the second plurality of groups of carriers, that contains a smallest contiguous range of frequencies of the second plurality of groups of carriers; and rank the remaining groups of carriers, from the second plurality of groups of carriers, with respect to sizes of frequency ranges respectively included in each of the remaining groups of carriers of the second plurality of carriers.
 6. The device of claim 5, wherein the first group of carriers and a second group of carriers, of the first plurality of carriers, include a same range of frequencies, wherein the first group is closer, than the second group, to a center of a frequency band that includes the frequencies associated with each carrier, of the first plurality of carriers, and wherein the first group is selected as the default group, in lieu of the second group, based on the first group being closer to the center of the frequency band.
 7. The device of claim 5, wherein the ranking of the groups includes at least: a second group of carriers as the highest ranked group of carriers, in the ranked plurality of groups of carriers, that includes the largest frequency range of the ranked plurality of groups of carriers, and a third group of carriers that includes a smaller frequency range than the second group of carriers, the third group of carriers being ranked lower than the second group of carriers, wherein performing the carrier aggregation further includes adding the second group of carriers to the connection between the UE and the base station, before the third group of carriers is added to the connection between the UE and the base station.
 8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing a set of processor-executable instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receive information specifying a plurality of carriers that are licensed for use by a particular wireless telecommunications provider, wherein each carrier, of the plurality of carriers, includes a contiguous range of frequencies of the radio frequency (“RF”) spectrum; identify, from the plurality of carriers that are licensed for use by the particular wireless telecommunications provider, a plurality of groups of carriers, wherein each group of carriers includes one or more carriers that correspond to a contiguous range of frequencies; identify a first group of carriers, from the plurality of groups of carriers, that contains a smallest contiguous range of frequencies of the plurality of groups of carriers; rank the remaining groups of carriers, from the plurality of groups of carriers, in descending order with respect to sizes of frequency ranges respectively included in each of the remaining groups of carriers; detect a connection of a user equipment (“UE”) with a base station of the wireless telecommunications network; assign, for the connection of the UE with the base station, the default group of carriers based on detecting the connection of the UE with the base station; determine, after assigning the default group of carriers, that carrier aggregation should be performed for the connection between the UE and the base station; perform, based on the determination, carrier aggregation for the connection between the UE and the base station, wherein performing the carrier aggregation includes adding groups of carriers to the connection between the UE and the base station in an order that is based on the ranking of the groups of carriers; store information indicating that carrier aggregation was performed, the information indicating at least one of: (a) a quantity of carriers used for the carrier aggregation, or (b) a width of the range of frequencies included in the groups of carriers used for the carrier aggregation; detect that the UE has connected to another base station; and assign, to the connection between the UE and the other base station, a quantity of carriers, associated with the other base station, that (a) meets or exceeds the quantity of carriers used for the carrier aggregation, or (b) has a width of frequency ranges that meets or exceeds the width of frequency ranges included in the groups of carriers used for the carrier aggregation.
 9. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the ranking of the groups includes at least: a second group of carriers as the highest ranked group of carriers, in the ranked plurality of groups of carriers, that includes the largest frequency range of the ranked plurality of groups of carriers, and a third group of carriers that includes a smaller frequency range than the second group of carriers, the third group of carriers being ranked lower than the second group of carriers.
 10. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 9, wherein the processor-executable instructions, to perform the carrier aggregation, further include processor-executable instructions to add the second group of carriers to the connection between the UE and the base station, before the third group of carriers is added to the connection between the UE and the base station.
 11. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 8, wherein the quantity of assigned carriers is assigned based on the detection of the connection of the UE to the other base station.
 12. A non-transitory computer-readable medium, storing a set of processor-executable instructions, which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to: receive information specifying a first plurality of carriers that are licensed for use by a particular wireless telecommunications provider, wherein each carrier, of the first plurality of carriers, includes a contiguous range of frequencies of the radio frequency (“RF”) spectrum; identify, from the first plurality of carriers that are licensed for use by the particular wireless telecommunications provider, a first plurality of groups of carriers, wherein each group of carriers includes one or more carriers that correspond to a contiguous range of frequencies; identify a first group of carriers, from the first plurality of groups of carriers, that contains a smallest contiguous range of frequencies of the first plurality of groups of carriers; rank the remaining groups of carriers, from the first plurality of groups of carriers, in descending order with respect to sizes of frequency ranges respectively included in each of the remaining groups of carriers; detect a connection of a user equipment (“UE”) with a base station of the wireless telecommunications network, wherein the base station is associated with a first set of licenses, for the wireless telecommunications provider, to use the first plurality of carriers, wherein another base station is associated with a second set of licenses, for the wireless telecommunications provider, to use a second plurality of carriers; assign, for the connection of the UE with the base station, the default group of carriers based on detecting the connection of the UE with the base station; determine, after assigning the default group of carriers, that carrier aggregation should be performed for the connection between the UE and the base station; perform, based on the determination, carrier aggregation for the connection between the UE and the base station, wherein performing the carrier aggregation includes adding groups of carriers to the connection between the UE and the base station in an order that is based on the ranking of the groups of carriers; receive information specifying the second plurality of carriers; identify, from the second plurality of carriers, a second plurality of groups of carriers; identify a third group of carriers, from the second plurality of groups of carriers, that contains a smallest contiguous range of frequencies of the second plurality of groups of carriers; and rank the remaining groups of carriers, from the second plurality of groups of carriers, with respect to sizes of frequency ranges respectively included in each of the remaining groups of carriers of the second plurality of carriers.
 13. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the first group of carriers and a second group of carriers, of the first plurality of carriers, include a same range of frequencies, wherein the first group is closer, than the second group, to a center of a frequency band that includes the frequencies associated with each carrier, of the first plurality of carriers, and wherein the first group is selected as the default group, in lieu of the second group, based on the first group being closer to the center of the frequency band.
 14. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 12, wherein the groups includes at least: a second group of carriers as the highest ranked group of carriers, in the ranked plurality of groups of carriers, that includes the largest frequency range of the ranked plurality of groups of carriers, and a third group of carriers that includes a smaller frequency range than the second group of carriers, the third group of carriers being ranked lower than the second group of carriers, wherein performing the carrier aggregation further includes adding the second group of carriers to the connection between the UE and the base station, before the third group of carriers is added to the connection between the UE and the base station.
 15. A method, comprising: receiving information specifying a plurality of carriers that are licensed for use by a particular wireless telecommunications provider, wherein each carrier, of the plurality of carriers, includes a contiguous range of frequencies of the radio frequency (“RF”) spectrum; identifying, from the plurality of carriers that are licensed for use by the particular wireless telecommunications provider, a plurality of groups of carriers, wherein each group of carriers includes one or more carriers that correspond to a contiguous range of frequencies; identifying a first group of carriers, from the plurality of groups of carriers, that contains a smallest contiguous range of frequencies of the plurality of groups of carriers; ranking the remaining groups of carriers, from the plurality of groups of carriers, in descending order with respect to sizes of frequency ranges respectively included in each of the remaining groups of carriers; detecting a connection of a user equipment (“UE”) with a base station of the wireless telecommunications network; assigning, for the connection of the UE with the base station, the default group of carriers based on detecting the connection of the UE with the base station; determining, after assigning the default group of carriers, that carrier aggregation should be performed for the connection between the UE and the base station; performing, based on the determination, carrier aggregation for the connection between the UE and the base station, wherein performing the carrier aggregation includes adding groups of carriers to the connection between the UE and the base station in an order that is based on the ranking of the groups of carriers; storing information indicating that carrier aggregation was performed, the information indicating at least one of: (a) a quantity of carriers used for the carrier aggregation, or (b) a width of the range of frequencies included in the groups of carriers used for the carrier aggregation; detecting that the UE has connected to another base station; and assigning, to the connection between the UE and the other base station, a quantity of carriers, associated with the other base station, that (a) meets or exceeds the quantity of carriers used for the carrier aggregation, or (b) has a width of frequency ranges that meets or exceeds the width of frequency ranges included in the groups of carriers used for the carrier aggregation.
 16. The method of claim 15, wherein the ranking of the groups includes at least: a second group of carriers as the highest ranked group of carriers, in the ranked plurality of groups of carriers, that includes the largest frequency range of the ranked plurality of groups of carriers, and a third group of carriers that includes a smaller frequency range than the second group of carriers, the third group of carriers being ranked lower than the second group of carriers, wherein performing the aggregation further includes adding the second group of carriers to the connection between the UE and the base station, before the third group of carriers is added to the connection between the UE and the base station.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein the quantity of assigned carriers is assigned based on the detection of the connection of the UE to the other base station.
 18. A method, comprising: receiving information specifying a first plurality of carriers that are licensed for use by a particular wireless telecommunications provider, wherein each carrier, of the first plurality of carriers, includes a contiguous range of frequencies of the radio frequency (“RF”) spectrum; identifying, from the first plurality of carriers that are licensed for use by the particular wireless telecommunications provider, a first plurality of groups of carriers, wherein each group of carriers includes one or more carriers that correspond to a contiguous range of frequencies; identifying a first group of carriers, from the first plurality of groups of carriers, that contains a smallest contiguous range of frequencies of the first plurality of groups of carriers; ranking the remaining groups of carriers, from the first plurality of groups of carriers, in descending order with respect to sizes of frequency ranges respectively included in each of the remaining groups of carriers; detecting a connection of a user equipment (“UE”) with a base station of the wireless telecommunications network, wherein the base station is associated with a first set of licenses, for the wireless telecommunications provider, to use the first plurality of carriers, wherein another base station is associated with a second set of licenses, for the wireless telecommunications provider, to use a second plurality of carriers assigning, for the connection of the UE with the base station, the default group of carriers based on detecting the connection of the UE with the base station; determining, after assigning the default group of carriers, that carrier aggregation should be performed for the connection between the UE and the base station; performing, based on the determination, carrier aggregation for the connection between the UE and the base station, wherein performing the carrier aggregation includes adding groups of carriers to the connection between the UE and the base station in an order that is based on the ranking of the groups of carriers; receiving information specifying the second plurality of carriers; identifying, from the second plurality of carriers, a second plurality of groups of carriers; identifying a third group of carriers, from the second plurality of groups of carriers, that contains a smallest contiguous range of frequencies of the second plurality of groups of carriers; and ranking the remaining groups of carriers, from the second plurality of groups of carriers, with respect to sizes of frequency ranges respectively included in each of the remaining groups of carriers of the second plurality of carriers.
 19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first group of carriers and a second group of carriers, of the first plurality of carriers, include a same range of frequencies, wherein the first group is closer, than the second group, to a center of a frequency band that includes the frequencies associated with each carrier, of the first plurality of carriers, and wherein the first group is selected as the default group, in lieu of the second group, based on the first group being closer to the center of the frequency band.
 20. The method of claim 18, wherein the ranking of the groups includes at least: a second group of carriers as the highest ranked group of carriers, in the ranked plurality of groups of carriers, that includes the largest frequency range of the ranked plurality of groups of carriers, and a third group of carriers that includes a smaller frequency range than the second group of carriers, the third group of carriers being ranked lower than the second group of carriers, wherein performing the carrier aggregation further includes adding the second group of carriers to the connection between the UE and the base station, before the third group of carriers is added to the connection between the UE and the base station. 